As the season turns cold and dark, knitters find themselves spending more and more time outside after dark. This combination of elements often turns one's thoughts to solving two problems at once, by knitting reflective safety gear.
There are several fibers on the market which are designed to be carried along with another strand of yarn as you knit. It should be noted that they are all somewhat expensive compared to regular yarn, as you might expect from a product that has so much industrial design behind it.
You can also use these finer threads to embroider and embellish your knitwear after you make it. Duplicate stitch, backstitch, and daisy stitch would all look pretty awesome in reflective thread!
The reflective carry-along that seems to be the favorite among knitters is Retroglo by Metlon Corporation. Retroglo is made from 3M's Scotchlite Reflective Material, which is a safety standard among firefighters, construction workers, and other industries. Retroglo packs in 50,000 glass beads to the square inch to reflect light.
Check out the project pictures for these fingerless mitts one knitter made with Retroglo! Frankly, I'm sold.
If you don't want to fiddle with knitting with two yarns at once, you may want to check out Lumio yarn by Schachenmayr. This is a fluorescent super-bulky acrylic yarn that has a reflective thread built in. Judging by the many project pictures for this yarn, it really sparkles! How fun.
Another possibility for these thin reflective threads is to use them to embellish an existing garment with either cross stitch or embroidery. The threads look grey and plain by daylight, but as soon as the light hits them, they light up like crazy. This would be an excellent technique to add a little reflection to your dog's leash and collar, a backpack, a hat, or more.
Image copyright Metlon Corporation
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